BENGALURU: The recent wildfire at Mullayanagiri Hills that turned 500 acres of grassland to ash, abutting the forests, was in the revenue land patch. Preliminary investigation revealed that a trekker had thrown a lit cigarette butt out of his car while leaving the trek trail.
Karnataka forest department officials said this is not an isolated incident. The officials said they will hold talks with the revenue department and take a collective decision to stop trekking and other tourism activities in and around the forest patches, for at least three months. The forest department is also working on regulating the movement of people passing through forest patches, even in safaris.
“We have no control over tourism activities in revenue lands. But its consequences are seen in the forests, like in the case of Mullayanagiri forest fire. Similar instances have been seen in Sakleshpur as well. There is a need to control or restrict tourism and adventure activities for the moment. The forest grass is dry, there is too much of fodder that can burn. Even a small ignite will lead to severe damages. Drought and harsh summer heat, coupled with strong winds, only make matters worse,” said an official from the Forest department.
The official added that there have been instances where tourists and trekkers have informed about a forest fire. How this can be regulated is being looked into, he added.
A senior revenue department official said: “Controlling tourism in revenue lands needs to be handled locally. This matter will be discussed with the District Commissioners, and restrictions on tourists will be imposed based on the ground reality of different regions. There is a need to have good and smooth coordination amongst the tourism, revenue, and forest department in order to ensure there are no untoward incidents.”
As a result of the extremely high footfall at Kumara Parvatha, on January 26, Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar Khandre had announced that trekking will not be permitted in forest areas unless the trek is booked online, in advance.
Following this, trekking has been closed in many areas. However, trekking continues in popular locations like Kudremukh, where only online booking are accepted.
Further, to keep a watch on areas outside forests for fire, the forest fire mitigation wing is now taking data pertaining to forest fires that occur within 500 metres buffer of the forests. “We are taking these images and data and alerting the forest department staffers to be prepared,” said a forest official.